[Update at 12:30pm on May 12, 2023: This story has been updated with GAGA Group's investigations. A representative said their stall uses transparent plastic bags and not red ones. This has been verified by Mothership. However, in the photos that the customer, Philip, shared with Mothership, the plastic bag was red.] 

[Update at 1:30pm on May 10, 2023: This story has been updated with GAGA Group's statement.]

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A man in Singapore got more than what he asked for in his packet of roast meat rice: A little cockroach that was still alive and moving.

Unexpected surprise

The man, Lester Philip, wrote to Mothership saying he hopes to "spread awareness about [his] recent unfortunate experience".

On the afternoon of May 6, Philip went to the GAGA Roasted Delights outlet located in a coffee shop at 444 Pasir Ris Ave 6 and bought a packet of roast pork and chicken rice with a braised egg.

Once home, Philip opened the packet of food and was about to dig in when he noticed a small brown speck on top of the braised.

Much to his surprise, it was a cockroach, just slightly longer than a nail.

The critter, which was still very much alive, scampered across the food and made its way on top of the roast pork slices.

Aghast, Philip took a photo and video of the critter before quickly snapping the box of food shut.

Got a refund

Upon his father's insistence, Philip returned to the stall to alert them about what happened.

"It is important to take action and not stay silent, even if you have to travel back to the stall and report it."

The stall employees, whom Philip said were equally as surprised as he was, offered him a refund.

Philip told Mothership that this was not his first time patronising the stall, adding that the stall was one of the few "decent ones".

He appeared to be deeply shaken by the incident and hopes to caution others.

"We did get our refund, but we are still filing a report for poor hygiene and cleanliness investigation. We do hope to share this and remind others to check the food and stalls they are buying."

Since the incident, however, Philip said it will be the last time he patronises the stall.

Investigations ongoing

In response to Mothership's queries, a representative from GAGA Group said they are "deeply concerned about what has happened".

According to invoices seen by Mothership, the stall in question undergoes pest control on a monthly basis, with the most recent being on May 3, 2023, just three days prior to the incident.

Additionally, the representative said the stall is thoroughly cleaned on a routine basis and "cleanliness checks on our staffs (are conducted) on a regular weekly basis".

"For this incident to be happening at our stall, we were caught by surprise but still we admitted that it's due to our negligence that this should be happening at our stall."

That said, the stall at Pasir Ris was closed on May 8 to go through "another round" of thorough cleaning and pest control "to ensure that everything is in place".

The representative said they were investigating the matter, and claimed that they do not pack their food in a red plastic bag, like the one seen in Philip's photos.

Instead, their stalls use plain transparent plastic bags.

"There are a handful of regular customers who actually called us up and ask if they could assist us in any way.

A big thank you to all of you out there who called us up and expressed concern over this matter."

All media courtesy of Lester Philip.